Gongming sausage is a Guangdong-style sausage, which is typified by a sweet flavor. In 1955, chef Zhou Shan in Gongming Subdistrict developed his own sausage, combining both salty and sweet flavors. It is used as an ingredient in quite a number of dishes now.

Huang’s TCM

Huang Hanzhang is the seventh generation traditional Chinese medicine doctor in his family and his clinic is in Xixiang Subdistrict. He often gives free treatment to locals and has developed various herbal drinks.

Traditional milk tea

In 1995, Bao’an resident Yu Qingchi began selling Hong Kong-style milk tea, which is made from black tea and milk (usually evaporated milk or condensed milk). The key feature of Hong Kong-style milk tea is that a sackcloth bag is used to filter the tea leaves. The bag, reputed to make the tea smoother, gradually develops an intense brown color as a result of prolonged tea exposure. Together with the shape of the filter, it resembles a silk stocking, giving Hong Kong-style milk tea the nickname of “silk stocking” milk tea.

Cantonese pastries

In Bao’an’s Songgang Subdistrict, Zhuang Liuchuang is the fourth generation successor of Zhuang Zhijing who made traditional Cantonese pastries in the early 1900s in Lufeng, Guangdong. Zhuang Liuchuang later founded Shenzhen Maixuan Food Co. Ltd. in 1990, baking sweetheart cakes and moon cakes. A sweetheart cake or wife cake is a traditional Cantonese pastry with a thin crust of flaky dough, and is made with a filling of winter melon, almond paste, and sesame, and is spiced with five-spice powder.

Fenghuang qilin dance

In ancient Chinese fairy tales, qilin are sacred pets of the deities. Therefore, the qilin dance can often be seen during festive occasions, like the dragon dance and the lion dance. In the qilin dance, movements are characterized by fast, powerful strokes of the head. The qilin dance is often regarded as a hard dance to perform due to the weight of the head, the stances involved, and the emphasis on sudden bursts of energy. In Fenghuang Community in Bao’an, the qilin dance has a centuries-old history.

Shangchuan pandanus zongzi

Shangchuan zongzi is a traditional food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in pandanus leaves. They are either steamed or boiled. The pandanus tree’s leaves are said to have medicinal properties, so it is often used by residents in Shangchuan, Xin’an Subdistrict. (Cao Zhen)